UMass Boston today announced a new free tuition pledge for students with the greatest needs, combining university, state, and federal aid to provide unprecedented certainty to students and families as their college application process begins.

Drawing on the significant support the Healey-Driscoll Administration has provided through MASSGrant Plus Expansion, UMass Boston's Beacon Pledge will provide a comprehensive aid package to enable eligible students next fall to attend college with all tuition and mandatory fees covered.

"I want to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their unwavering support of public higher education. Considering over 80% of our graduates remain in Massachusetts, the state's continued investment in public higher education is an investment in our future workforce," said UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. "Being the son of schoolteachers and an immigrant myself, I know education's vital role in opening doors for young people. Our Beacon Pledge program will make a four-year degree at Boston's premier public research university not just a dream but an attainable reality."

The Beacon Pledge Program offers high-need students the ability to earn a bachelor's degree for free. It will use federal, state, and institutional aid to cover total tuition and mandatory fees. In-state students from families with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less qualify for the program. University leaders hope the program can support as many as 3,000 students in its first year, more than one-third of whom are expected to come from Suffolk County and a vast majority of whom are expected to be students of color.

"Massachusetts is home to incredible state colleges and universities, including Boston's only public research university, UMass Boston," said Governor Maura Healey. "We have made important progress over the past couple of years to make higher education more affordable and accessible for all students and are glad to see UMass Boston lifting up the historic financial aid available to students at state universities through their Beacon Pledge. I'm grateful for the leadership of Chancellor Suárez-Orozco and look forward to continuing to support the amazing work happening at UMass Boston and campuses across the state."

"We believe the Beacon Pledge, building on existing state and federal support, is a model for other public colleges and universities to ensure a four-year degree is more attainable for all learners, regardless of their background or income," Suárez-Orozco said.

Chancellor Suárez-Orozco expressed gratitude for the support from other UMass campuses for the Beacon Pledge program. "I applaud the leadership of my Chancellor colleagues, Drs. Chen, Fuller, and Reyes, for shortly preparing to announce similar initiatives adapted to each of their campuses," said Suárez-Orozco.

Since its founding 60 years ago, UMass Boston has been committed to providing high-quality education to underrepresented and underserved students. The Beacon Pledge program seeks to remove financial barriers and demystify the cost of college for the Commonwealth's most need-based students and families. It is an extension of the generous aid policies that UMass Boston has employed for years — awarding $45 million in institutional funds annually and resulting in the lowest average debt upon graduation per student of any of the UMass campuses.

"Here in Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on being leaders in education — not only because we're home to world-class institutions but also because we've taken major steps to make higher education more accessible and more affordable," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "The Beacon Pledge highlights how the administration, Legislature, and colleges continue to break down barriers and grant more people an opportunity to pursue higher education, which is good for our students, schools, businesses, and economy. We're thankful to the leadership at UMass Boston and look forward to welcoming students to campus!"

"UMass Boston's Beacon Pledge program highlights how truly affordable a UMass degree is, and I applaud Chancellor Suárez-Orozco and the other UMass chancellors for their efforts to ensure students and families are aware of that fact," said UMass President Marty Meehan. "Since 2015, the University of Massachusetts system has made record investments in university-funded aid, boosting it by 73 percent to $409 million annually. Our record institutional aid combined with the historic expansion of state financial aid through MASSGrant Plus by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature, have made it possible for all undergraduate campuses to cover the costs of tuition and mandatory fees for their highest-need students."

Over 60% of UMass Boston students are the first in their families to attend college, and more than 40% qualify for a Pell Grant annually. The Beacon Pledge helps to ensure Massachusetts students have access to a credential that provides the greatest opportunity for upward mobility.

"Access to exceptional public higher education in Massachusetts expands further with today's milestone at UMass Boston," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka. "I'm heartened to see the campus take this transformative step, and proud that our historic commitments to investing in public higher education are bearing fruit. I applaud Chancellor Suárez-Orozco for making world-class education possible for even more students and families."

"Congratulations to UMass Boston and Chancellor Suárez-Orozco on this bold step to open even more doors to a world-class education," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. "As Boston's premier public research university that educates and trains more BPS students than any other higher education institution, the Beacon Pledge will make a four-year degree attainable, equitable and accessible for Boston residents. This is a critical step to achieving education equity and will allow more students to achieve more opportunities to advance their academic goals."

"I commend Chancellor Suárez-Orozco for lifting up this opportunity for students with the greatest financial need," said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. "Knowledge of affordable college opportunities is crucial for students, and finding ways to work with our institutions to leverage the historic financial aid investments by the Healey-Driscoll Administration remains a priority for the Department. I look forward to working with UMass Boston and all of our public institutions to grow participation in these programs."